The satisfactory removal of greasy soils/stains, particularly soils/stains having a high proportion of triglycerides or fatty acids, is a challenge faced by the formulator of detergent compositions for use in cleaning applications such as laundry or dish-washing, particularly laundry cleaning applications. One means of formulating for oily stain removal relates to selection of specific surfactants and surfactant types, for example use of cationic surfactants as described in WO97/43367. However, present formulating routes including cationic surfactants still require complex surfactant systems comprising at least two or even three or more separate surfactants to be used.
There is still therefore a need to provide alternatives to cationic surfactants to provide cleaning of oily stains, in particular, alternatives which enable less complex formulation routes to be used to effect oily stain removal.
Polymeric ingredients are known for incorporation into cleaning compositions. For example, in WO91/09932, polymers described as deflocculating polymers are incorporated into detergent composition particles to provide improved dispersing granular detergent compositions. Graft copolymers are known for incorporation into detergent compositions, for example as described in EP-A-219 048 and EP-A-358474.